• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Non-profit NSSF’s initiative delivers 1.6m COVID-19 vaccinations in 3 months

AVAT launches new scheme for Covid-19 vaccine compensation

A partnership by the Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to support the vaccination of 1 million Nigerians across six states by January 2022, has delivered over 1.6 million vaccinations surpassing the goal by 60 percent.

The NSSF was formed through the collaboration between Global Citizen (GC) and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). It was created to invest in three core COVID-19 response areas: supporting the most vulnerable, strengthening health care systems and re-skilling Nigerian youth for The New Nigeria.

The NSSF in September 2021 entered into a partnership with the NPHCDA to assist people in Adamawa, Edo, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa and Ogun to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The campaign has thus far resulted in the vaccination of 1,651,278 Nigerians.

“The success of our vaccination drive shows what is possible through collaboration and partnership to overcome vaccine hesitancy,” the organisation said in a release.

With funding from the NSSF the NPHCDA, it was able to mobilise over 1000 qualified health workers to move into the field visiting each ward, council, and local government area in the six states.

Read also: Why Lagos ranks low despite hitting highest COVID-19 vaccination volume

The vaccination teams operated from markets, places of worship, schools and other public spaces. It used town criers and similar grass roots tactics to reach the widest audience possible.

“So far, the campaign has reached over 12 million Nigerians who have been better informed about the need to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus,” said the NSSF.

The success of NSSF once again indicates the critical role Nigeria’s private sector organisations have been playing in supporting the Federal Government in the fight against COVID-19.

In 2020, they raised billions of naira to build and equip medical centres to attend to COVID-19 patients.

The NSSF says it will continue to provide funding and other support to the NPHCDA in order to ensure millions more Nigerians are vaccinated as soon as possible.

NSSF’s board is led by Babatunde Folawiyo, chairman, Global Citizen, Nigeria and has other eminent personalities including Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Uche Orji, managing director, NSIA, and Stella Ojekwe-Onyejeli, executive director, NSIA.

The NSSF says it believes that everyone should have access to quality and affordable healthcare services when they need it, young Nigerians should be enabled with opportunities for self-empowerment and well-skilled for a post-COVID era and that the most vulnerable, disadvantaged, and marginalised groups in Nigeria should not be left behind.